Suggestions for Excursions / Day Trips in Cairo
Very excited to be heading out on the August 27th departure of Jewel of the Nile. We will be getting to Cairo on the 25th giving us the 26th and most of the day on the 27th to explore. If anyone has any suggestions of tours or experiences that they have done with specific guides we would love to hear about them! (HorseBack riding is a particular interest)
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I arrived 2 days early for this trip, last November. One day, I did a day trip to Alexandria (Viator). It was nice to have a break from Cairo's smog, even after being there only one day. It was about 2 hours each way by car (driver provided as part of the tour).
The other day, I went to the Mall of Egypt (used Uber, about 20 minutes) to buy clothes and misc. stuff as my luggage was lost
It's surprisingly upscale and has European chains such as Marks & Spencer and Carrefour.
Do a search within the Egypt category. This subject has been discussed many times. Expect it to be VERY hot in August.
Yes, check the Egypt category for both Jewels of the Nile and Jordan & Egypt tours since both spend a few days in Cairo.
To reinforce what BKMD said, it will be VERY HOT in August. Expect temps over 100° F in Aswan and Abu Simbel. If you are ever curious about weather and temps before booking a tour, check out WeatherSpark. It has historical summaries for most major cities and towns around the world. The information is presented in textual and easy-to-interpret graphical formats.
Can't help with horseback riding, but there will be many opportunities to ride a camel.
Thank you for your comments.. I was looking for any specific recommendations of day trips that might be unique and something you would recommend to others! I am aware that it will be HOT (I did my research) but not all of us have the liberty to travel at anytime of the year so it was go or not go !
What are your interests other than horses?
Are you interested in archaeology? If so, there are a number of places to go and see that are not included or don't receive much time in the Tauck itinerary, e.g a full day in Saqqara and Dahshur. With Tauck, you don't go to Dahshur which is not far from Saqqara, but still only see the Bent and Red pyramids there from afar. At one time they were in a military exclusion zone, but now both pyramids can be visited and entered all the way to the burial chambers. In Saqqara you can visit so much more than you'll see with Tauck, e.g. the Serappeum, Mastaba of Ti, and can now enter the Bent Pyramid which has a nearly 3 mi. of subterranean chambers and corridors, some of which, unlike other pyramids, are faience tiles and other decorations. Many of these places are not far from downtown, but it can take awhile due to the roads and horrendous traffic. Further afield if you are interested in the evolution of the true pyramid you can have guide and drover take you to the Pyramid at Meidom. It is the first of 3 (Meidom, Bent, and Red) built under the direction of King Sneferu (his son built the Great Pyramid.)
Not too far from Saqqara you can visit the ruins of the former capital ancient capital of Memphis. In addition to the ruins, you can see a gigantic statue of Rameses II positioned horizontally. It is a companion to and the same size as the one in the lobby of the GEM. You can also visit the NMEC (National Museum of Egyptian Culture), which is now the home of the Royal Mummies (they were moved there last year from the Old Egyptian Museum.)
In addition to Alexandria you can also take a day trip to Tanis, the capital of the 21st and 22nd dynasties and location where many antiquities rivaling the best found throughout Egypt were discovered.
While not known for its oriental carpets, there are no shortages of shops to visit and drop several thousand $$.
Thank you for your great suggestions AlanS.. have you used any specific guides or outfits to take you to Saqqara/Dashur ? I believe in a thread somewhere, "by locals"was mentioned. Not sure if that is the route to take ? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated ! Also wondering if anyone has ever done a cooking class / food tour?
I started my quest for a guide via web searches. Most of the guides I found had general guide qualifications but didn't have the in-depth archaeological and history knowledge or experience I wanted or just offered canned tours. Then I contacted a Tauck TD who recommended a guide who has worked for Tauck and A&K, and who the TD claimed was the "the best." I contacted the individual but as we were finalizing what I wanted he got hired away for a group tour. He gave me the name of a friend who he claimed was more knowledgeable than he. I contacted the guide, we arranged two excursions that fit my wish list and available time. We corresponded for several months before our tour about many Pharaonic topics. It worked out great.
Many people here have had great success with "Tours by Locals." I personally have not dealt with them. Before you contact and book a guide, you should learn as much as you can and have a good idea what Tauck takes you to see and what you want to see.
Also, your tour may have its schedule in Cairo changed if the GEM is open by then, so you might want to focus on pre-tour or post-tour activities.
I would echo what Alan says about focusing on pre and post tour extra things. Both times we scheduled extra things within a tour, there was an added actual that Tauck hadn’t published, or the included one ran longer than we were fold it would. So now we are reluctant to book anything within the tour framework.